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Jeremy Lin wins. It's what he does, what he did for the New York Knicks and what he plans to do for the Houston Rockets.

So Lin and the Rockets won their first game together (again), beating the defending Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder 107-105 Wednesday. Rookie Terrence Jones scored 20 points. But Lin is the focus, of course.

And even as Lin wins again, another spin would be that he was outplayed by Russell Westbrook, one of the finest point guards in the NBA. Lin finished with three points, six assists, three steals and three turnovers in 20 minutes. Westbrook racked up 19 points on 6-for-9 shooting with three assists, two rebounds and one turnover in 16 minutes.

Lin's his own harshest critic, though.

"I don't think I made plays," Lin told the Houston Chronicle. "I definitely didn't stop Westbrook defensively. And offensively, I think a little too passive. I'm not sure. I just really wasn't myself. I'm going to try to be more aggressive, make more plays for myself and for others and just do a better job than that."

Lin should go easy on himself. He hasn't played in an NBA game since March 24, when #Linsanity came to a crashing halt because of a small tear in his knee.

And this was his first game with a new team. The Rockets are vastly different from the team Lin played seven preseason minutes for last season, and he is now the centerpiece instead of an afterthought.

So how about a little perspective?

"I forgot how fun games are," Lin told the Chronicle. "It had been so long, since March. It's a lot of fun to play. I just forgot the feeling. I got it back now."